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2011-03-11

Coming This April - 26 Days of Conan


Big news, everybody!  During the month of April, I will be blogging my way through Hayao Miyazaki's 1978 TV series, Future Boy Conan.  The plan is to watch and discuss one episode a night, and burn through all 26 episodes of the series.

I probably won't be able to post full episodes here on the blog, so I recommend you download the fansub (if you have not already done so), and watch along with me.  I will only be writing about each episode as I've watched it, so I'll be following along with everyone else.  It's been a number of years since I've sat through Future Boy Conan, so this will just as fun for me as it is for you.

I call on all Studio Ghibli-themed and anime websites to join me on 26 Days of Conan.  Write your own blog posts and share your insights.  If you've never seen the series before, so much the better!  Let this be your chance to discover one of Miyazaki's great classics.  Consider this the latest Miyazaki Blog-athon!

For those who aren't aware, an English-subtitled fansub copy of Conan is readily available.  You can find the links at the Ghibli Blog Downloads section.  I'll begin on April 1 with an overview post, and then begin watching and blogging the series on April 2.  I suggest everyone else also follow this schedule - just imagine that we're all watching Conan together.

If anyone has any questions, don't hesitate to ask.  I'll do my best to help.

5 comments:

laurenchip said...

I have watched them all and I like them, apart from the last dvd on the last episode skips and haven't been able to finish the series, really annoying!

Álvaro López Martín said...

Hi! Sounds like a great idea. I have a blog about Ghibli (in Spanish) and would be happy to follow your idea of the 26 days of Conan. Also in Spain do not have too many problems to watch the series as it is released on DVD.

To check the series at this time after the catastrophe that Japan is suffering now, takes a lot of sense for the topics it covers.

Unknown said...

I heard of a movie , is it true if there is a movie where can i find it ?
thanks

Unknown said...

Hello!

You are one deprived child I must tell you.

The reason why I say this is because I was turned on to Conan Ragazzo del Futuro (Italian version) as a child in Italy. Dubbing and subtitles aside, I am not a huge anime veteran but know enough about films to know the tone of the original language is better than some overdub.

*HOWEVER*, I will say one thing: I think that Conan Ragazzo del Futuro/Future Boy Conan is outstanding, and if perhaps lacks the maturity of some other Miyazakian works, is my personal favorite. The length and breadth are breathtaking, which help deepen characterizations, surprises, and let's face it, fear, the latter especially which forms the greatest emotion.

I was very fortunate to have seen this series with other children my own age, in of all places a beachside resort town on vacation one fateful summer of the mid 80's. Boy, after the "incredible tide"/tsunami episode, we were really checking out the sea constantly for "il mare moto" (tsunamis). We also had insane, unbearable crushes on Mosri (or Monsley in future redubs).

And to me, the Italian version says so much more just because I remember first seeing it like that.

IMHO the most powerful episodes are #5 for the beginning of the suspense and terror, #8 for even more suspense and for a kid show, nightmarish and poignant scenes, #12 as being the *CREEPIEST* and absolutely most terrifying thing I have ever seen on TV to this day, and #17-18 for plenty of suspense.

You may be able to make it through the first 10-15 episodes rather calmly, one a day, but by #18 the tempo gets so frenetic you might have to watch it all the way through. And #25 episode I remember, despite having seen it only once as a child before my recent view(s), nearly word by word to this day after 25 years.

I agree with you that you should see it one a day; originally it was supposed to be one a week, hence the suspense to draw you back. But I think one a day will be unbearable more than halfway through the series.

Very masterfully crafted the periods of calm to be intersperced with periods of absolute terror; IMHO more than his movies I think Miyazaki's storytelling shines best here.

So *WHY DO I THINK YOU ARE A DEPRIVED CHILD*? Because you didn't get to see it and live through a child's simple eyes, 10x as terrified and entertained as an adult would be. You didn't get to anticipate with craziness what would happen to Conan and Lana (and others). And you didn't get to talk about it with your friends on the beach as you (nervously) eyed the horizon for tidal waves, magnetic bombs, and gigantos.

I look forward to discussing your posts and will favorite this.

I would love to discuss this more... I will give you my email. You can reach me at attilio underscore bettega at yahoo dot com

This email is all one word without space (trying to avoid spam), so after you type attilio just hold shift and then the minus sign next to += to ge the low lying underscore: _, then type bettega and finish the handle.

Cheers and happy times at the lost island, Indastria, Hyarbor and the desert.

Ciao
A

iaa_i said...

The greatest series ever ..

I'm just in love with it ..

:)

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